Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 09:04:04 EST
From: That's The Way I Like It
Subject: Gay/Celebrity/Boy-Bands "Changes" Chapters 11-12
Please don't read if you are offended by gay themes. The usual
disclaimer applies.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Destiny was still on stage performing and the Backstreet Boys and
their entourage were finding new things which were going wrong for
their opening night of the tour seemingly every second. One of
the dancers had pulled a muscle in her back and was getting it iced,
and in the meantime Destiny's mother LaShondra, who'd come with
her sixteen year old daughter as a chaperone, had lost track of
their toy poodle, Baby J, who had already peed on the floor before
deciding to disappear somewhere in the bowels of the building.
A.J.'s mike had shorted out during the last soundcheck and he was
nervous that it would go again in the middle of the performance.
Nick was on the phone with his mother talking about something which
was causing him great consternation. At the same moment, Brian
and Kevin were having an argument in one of the dressing rooms.
"Why the hell did you say that to Misha?" "Brian, I just think he's
got his nose too far into your affairs." "Kevin, for God's sake..."
"Maybe I didn't go about it the best way, but the last thing we need
is some outsider coming in and making things even worse." "Kevin,
I know Misha. We've talked, we've spent time together. He's a
good guy." "Yeah, I know you spent time together." "What's that
supposed to mean?" "He wants to break up you and Nick. And then
what's going to happen?" "First of all, Kevin, I don't know what
is going to happen between me and Nick, but that's my business."
"No it's not." "What? You-" "No, it's not Brian. It's the
group's business. The two of you decided to start fucking, don't
blame me." "No, I'm sorry. Kevin, that is bullshit." "Oh really
Brian? You don't think your little drama has any effect whatsoever
on the rest of us? You don't think our whole future depends on
your sex life? Well, guess what... I think you're wrong. Things
are up in the air right now and you playing games with Nick is
gonna be the kiss of death for Backstreet Boys." "What the hell
kind of guilt trip are you-" "Guys," Clive interrupted, sticking
his head in, "you're on in five." Kevin and Brian nodded at him
rudely and waited for the door to shut to start going at each other
again. "Now you listen to me, Kevin -" "No! You listen to me!"
"You have no right to try and run my life or Nick's life or
anybody's life but your own!" "You think nothing you do affects
anybody else? You selfish little piece of shit!" "First off, you
have to insult a decent guy... What's the matter, Kevin? Were you
jealous that he likes me? I know it's rough on you ... why the hell
didn't you go after him then? Do you really like being alone? Well
now you've alienated him, way to go Kev!" "You're still thinking
with your dick, like a teenager, it's no wonder that you hit it off
so well with Nick, you both act like children!"
"Guys, please!" It was Clive again, this time accompanied by Howie,
A.J., and Nick. Kevin and Brian had been shouting at each other
simultaneously, and when they left to head to the stage, Nick brushed
off Brian's attempt to put a hand on his arm. "Nick-" "Just leave
me alone," Nick snapped. "Everybody, over here... now," Clive shouted
out, and the five guys banded together, huddling close. "No more
fighting right now," Howie said in a tight voice, "this is about
the group." A rush of nervousness seemed to shoot through the five
men like electricity. They each clutched the hand of the person
next to them. Brian wished that Nick was in reach, but he wasn't.
He grabbed one of Howie's hands and one of Kevin's. Everybody's hands
felt sweaty. "So do you think it's going to be a complete disaster?"
Dani asked Misha as the guys began their performance. "No, I don't
think so at all," he replied quietly. "These guys are professionals."
Dani nodded. Despite all the tension, all the in-fighting and
mistrust that had built up, the harmonies sounded richer than ever,
the dance moves were sharp and the new arrangements were exciting
and brought new depth to the solo projects. Everything did sound
better when it was done as a group, and each of the guys seemed to
realise it as the night went on. By the time the show ended, the
big group hug on-stage seemed very genuine, and the screaming,
sold-out crowd thundered their approval.
"You guys sounded amazing!" Dani hugged A.J. as he gulped down a
glass of beer backstage. "Thanks, babe," he said, sounding a bit
distracted. "Gotta get changed." "Sorry," she smiled, and let him
go. Dani turned, still smiling, but her face fell when she saw
the look on Misha's face. "What's your problem?" "You," Misha
said. "What kind of screaming teeny bopper have you turned into
all of a sudden?" "What? I'm sorry, I get caught up in the pop
star excitement... forgive me, I'm a humanoid!" She tried to laugh,
but didn't like feeling insulted by one of her best friends. Misha
just shrugged and walked away. What, am I making a fool of myself?
Dani asked herself. Maybe she was getting a little familiar. But
A.J. was so friendly; he didn't seem to have an attitude the way
Howie and Kevin or Nick did. Even Brian was a bit aloof with her.
Last night, she'd gone to hang out with the guys at a club and it
did feel a bit awkward; she'd left early, claiming fatigue. But
wasn't that just because she hadn't really clicked with all of
them yet? Dani felt perfectly comfortable hanging with A.J. She
tried to shake it off, feeling a bit unsettled, and labelled her
film canisters from that night's show. Maybe I'll find A.J. later
tonight, Dani told herself. At least he treats me with a little
common respect.
"Nick, there is nothing going on between me and Misha. Look at
me." Brian put his hand on Nick's chin, but the blond wriggled
away from him. "I don't believe you," Nick said, "I heard what you
said. Don't try and twist it." "I'm not twisting it! I never
said that we did anything together, because we didn't! He was
trying to help us get back together!" "I've seen how he looks at
you," Nick said angrily, "and how he looks at me too. He doesn't
like me. He's never even said anything to me, it's only Dani who
talks to me." "Nick, you've barely had any time to talk to him,
first you were busy with ... Mario ... then you were-" "Oh, what?
What is that supposed to mean?" "I just mean, when Mario was here,
you were hidden away with him, or you were high..." "Thanks a lot,
Brian," Nick said, yanking his pants on in the dressing room with
an offended air. "Nick, I don't mean anything by that! I'm just
saying-" "No, you do! Or else you wouldn't say it like that!"
"Nick..." Brian groaned and sat down on the bench, putting his
head in his hands. "Oh, now what? You're irritated by me?" Brian
just sighed. Was it a crime to be irritated sometimes? "Fine
Brian," Nick said dramatically, snatching up his belongings, "why
don't you go sleep with Misha then, since he's so much better than
I am!" "Goddamnit, Nick!" Brian said angrily, standing up quickly.
"Stop it!" "You think I'm stupid?" Nick said, "you think what I'm
feeling is stupid?" "No, I don't think you're stupid, damnit,
why are you making this into a big deal!" "You don't care what I
think! You think what I feel is just stupid..." Brian kicked
the bench. This was ridiculous. Nick was behaving like a thirteen
year old. "What do you want, Nick? Are you trying to make me angry
with you? Because it's working!" "Why would I want you to be angry
at me?" Nick sobbed. "You're such a jerk, Brian!" He went storming
off and Brian collapsed on the bench, feeling dazed.
Nick went dashing down the hall, partly blinded as he cried, and
smacked right into Misha, who was on his way in to see if he could
find Dani before they left. "Sorry," Misha mumbled irritably, and
he stopped, realising that Nick hadn't said anything or moved.
"Something wrong?" he asked. "Stay away from Brian," Nick said,
his blue eyes full of tears. Misha snorted at the tall blond.
"Don't worry," he hissed back, "I was already put in my place." "Good,"
Nick said tearfully, "because he loves me, and you're
nothing. You're worth shit, and if you do anything to piss me
off, I'll throw your sorry ass off this tour." He spun around
on his heel and marched off. Misha's head spun with rage; he'd
never been so insulted and so angry in his life. "I'm sorry," a
little voice said, and Misha turned, his eyes flashing hatefully.
It was Brian. "Nick's being really immature for some reason,"
Brian said, looking down at the ground. "He's not usually
like that. He's just super sensitive right now." Misha just
stared. "I also heard about what Kevin said to you," Brian said
even more quietly; Misha could barely hear him. "I feel like a
complete bastard," Brian continued, "I never meant for anything
like this to happen and I want to apologise on behalf of the
entire group." "It's okay," Misha said dully. It wasn't okay.
He'd just been treated like dirt. Was it worth it to get the
paycheck he'd been promised? He'd have to break his contract
and give back the money he'd been given up front. Could he
even do that?
"Listen man," Brian said, putting a hand on Misha's shoulder. "I
want to make it up to you. At the very least, Kevin and Nick are
both gonna be apologising to you." "Don't worry about it," Misha
said brusquely. "Kevin is not a bad guy either," Brian said,
giving Misha a pleading expression. "He's just been a real sour
puss the last year. His last relationship really fell to bits
and he's taking it out on everybody, not just you." "I can't
imagine why his last relationship didn't work out," Misha said
icily. "I hope he was at least dating somebody 'on his level'."
"On his level?" "Yeah, that's how he put it to me." "Oh man,"
Brian sighed, "I mean it, these guys are not always total
assholes. You probably don't believe me." "Can't say I do,"
Misha said with a hint of a smile. "I gotta go see if I can
fix things with Nick," Brian said, looking fatigued by the
very idea. "Good luck," Misha said wistfully. And if you're
ever interested in dating somebody who isn't a spoiled little
brat, call me...
Misha and Dani made up over a late dinner and gossiped about the
bizarre lives of the Backstreet Boys. There seemed to be a
never-ending stream of amusing things to pass on to one another.
"Kevin has a tattoo? Do all of them?" "Haven't spotted any on
Howie," Misha said with a forkful of pasta in his mouth. "Of
course, I haven't looked at him quite as closely." "Heh," Dani
laughed, "Kevin is definitely quite a morsel. Too bad he's such
a prick." "Brian was trying to convince me that he and Nick are
not actually horses' asses." "Hmm," Dani smiled, "how sweet of
him." "He *is* sweet," Misha said with a straight face, finally
laughing when he saw Dani's eyes roll. "Seriously," Dani said,
"maybe Kevin is just being a jerk because he secretly lusts for
you." "Yeah, like a third grader kind of crush?" "Exactly!"
They clinked glasses. "Good one. But doubtful." "Do you think
he likes anybody, or is he so bitter that he's become a devout
masturbator?" "Hmm," Misha smiled, "now that's a mental image
I could deal with." "Sicko." "What? You said it, not me!" "I
was saying it in a clinical sense." "Yeah... Sure, Danielle."
When they got back to the hotel, Dani said good night to Misha
and stopped by A.J.'s room to see if he was around. She could
hear music playing as soon as she turned the corner, and with
a smile, Dani rapped on the door. "Alex, are you in there?"
There wasn't any answer, but it was rather loud, so she knocked
again and then turned the door knob. A.J. was on his way to
the door and she almost smashed into him as she stepped in.
"Oh..." he said foggily, "hey." "Hi, what are ya ..." Dani
stopped short as she noticed that A.J. wasn't alone. In fact,
there were two very scantily clad women sprawled out in the
room doing shots of vodka and giving her smirking looks. "You
want to come party with us?" A.J. asked. He sounded fucked up
as all hell, and Dani backed away. "No, that's okay," she
said. Dani had never felt like such an idiot, at least not since
junior high. She could feel tears building up in her eyes
and her cheeks beginning to flush. "Dani, what's wrong?" A.J.
slurred, confused. "Nothing, nothing," she choked, backing
quickly down the hall. The corner came up soon, thankfully,
and Dani fled to the elevator. She slapped the button hard with
the side of her hand and let her eyes dart to the side. A.J.
wasn't coming to find her, though, and Dani rode up alone to
her floor. She curled up on top of her bed and sobbed, letting
it all out now that she knew she wouldn't be disturbed for the
rest of the night. "I'm such a fool," Dani cried into her
pillow, "how could I have fallen in love with A.J. McLean?"
It wasn't particularly comforting to have to listen to Nick
and Brian having sex in the room next door, so eventually Dani
took her comforter and pillow and camped out in the bathroom,
a nice little enclosed space where she felt hidden away from
the world.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Too bad we can't ride on the other bus with the band and the
dancers," Misha was saying as he and Dani stood outside in
the damp morning air, loading luggage on to the Backstreet Boys
bus as they prepared to drive through the Dutch countryside
to the next tour stop. "I wish," Dani said in a flat voice.
"That would be nice, wouldn't it. Kinda doesn't fit in with
the whole document-the-tour concept, though." Misha laughed.
"Well, at least you can chat with A.J. I guess if I'm
lucky Nick will be asleep or get left behind accidentally,
and then I could talk to Brian." "Yeah," Dani said sadly.
She still felt like a fool, and was dressed like a slob in an
over-sized navy blue sweatshirt and flare jeans with sneakers.
Gradually everybody boarded, and they were off. Howie and
A.J. had been up late and they both crawled into bunks to
sleep through the morning. Kevin sat in the kitchen with
his laptop computer and a mug of coffee. Nick went in
the back to play a video game and Brian sat up front
listening to music and watching the country side go by.
"I'll go talk to Nick," Dani said, "I'll try to get to
you guys first if it looks like he's gonna go in there."
Misha laughed. "I don't even know if I'll be talking to
Brian. There's no need to set up some big covert operation."
"Yeah, whatever," Dani said with a grin. "Go talk to him."
Dani slid herself onto the couch next to Nick, who seemed
completely engrossed in his game. His bright blonde hair
was tucked under a hat, making him look even younger than
usual. She watched the game for a few minutes before she
just had to comment. "I guess just having the car be on a
race track is boring, huh," she said, as Nick went through
a variety of 3-D levels. "It's not just driving the car,"
Nick replied, his eyes never moving from the screen, "you
have to do a lot of other skills too." "Hmmm," Dani said
in as bored a voice as she could muster, hoping that he
wouldn't launch into some long description of the video game.
He didn't, although Nick did pause the game to eat some of
the caramel popcorn he had sitting out. "Want some?" "No
thanks." Dani observed him as he munched away. Nick ate
like a kid; little crumbs were covering him within seconds.
He was a handsome young man with an expressive, changeable
face which seemed made to be captured on film. As a
photographer, Dani studied Nick; she could see so much in
his face that she wanted to bring out with different angles
and lighting. "What?" Nick asked. "Nothing," Dani smiled,
"I was just thinking about some photo shoots I'd like to
do with you." "Oh yeah," he smiled, "that would be fun."
"You like doing those?" "Usually, yeah. It's kind of
like acting, and I don't really get to do that any more. I
mean, in our videos, but that's not really anything." Nick
laid back on the couch and sprawled his limbs out every
which way. He took up a lot of space.
"So how old were you when you joined the group, Nick?" "Um,
well, we didn't really get going until I was 13. That was our
first year together." Nick talked with his mouth full and
fumbled around for his bottle of soda, which he found in a
precarious place on the floor between his feet. "Do you ever
wish you'd gone to high school and all that?" Nick shot Dani
a look; she didn't realise that he got asked this in almost
every interview. "Sure, of course," Nick said. "Are you sure
you don't want any popcorn?" "Oh, all right," Dani smiled.
It seemed rude to just watch him eat, so she put three or
four kernels in her hand and nibbled at them slowly. "And
it's the same for your little brother?" Nick nodded. "Yeah,
pretty much. Mom's trying to raise him different. She
doesn't want to make the same mistakes." He sighed. "What do
you mean?" "Well, like for instance, Mom thinks that because I
didn't go to school and have friends my age, I was on tour instead,
that's why I'm gay." "Oh," Dani said, a little taken aback.
"She thinks, you know, they did it to me." Nick waved his hand
around generally. "Oh... That's not good." "No, it's not,"
Nick continued. He wasn't looking Dani in the eyes any more,
although he was making great progress devouring the bowl of
popcorn.
"So she's always pushing Air real hard to be straight and do
stuff with girls. If he turned out gay, I think she'd really
freak." "That's got to be tough on you, though." Nick
shrugged. "I guess. She gets real mad if I act gay around
him, like if I hug Brian or something." "But Aaron knows."
"Oh yeah." Nick laughed. "He knew before my mom knew." "And
he doesn't care?" "Well... Sometimes Mom and Dad will tell him
lots of stuff about gay people, and then the next time I'd see
him he'd tell me it too, and how I was wrong to be gay and
stuff, but you know, after he was around me for a while he'd
forget about it. Aaron's a really cool kid." Nick smiled to
himself. "I was so happy when I finally got a brother." Dani
rubbed Nick's shoulder affectionately. "I'm sorry to hear
that about your family, Nick." "Ah, it's okay," Nick said,
smiling up at her. Too bad he's gay, Dani thought; he has
the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. His whole face
lights up, and I always thought that was just an expression...
"Look Nick... Can I ask you something?" "Uh huh?" "It's
kind of a weird question." Nick laughed and licked his
fingers. "Uh... Okay, I'm kind of a weird person." "What
are you looking for in life?" "Huh?" Nick blinked at her.
"That's not a weird question, that's a hard question." "Okay,"
Dani laughed. "You didn't ask if you could ask me a hard
question." Nick pouted at her and then broke into another
unbelievable smile. "Just answer, and then there's a part
two." "Oh man," Nick laughed, "you're sadistic!"
Misha was on his way to talk to Brian and walking through
the kitchenette when he was stopped by Kevin. "Excuse me,
Misha?" The photographer sighed and turned around, resting
his hands on his hips. "Yes?" "May I say something to you?"
Kevin looked apologetic, and Misha nodded at him warily.
"Look, it's about what I said..." Kevin looked down at the
table top which folded out from the wall. "I really came off
like a big jerk, and that was not my intention at all. I
was looking for somebody to yell at, and ... well, I just
hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. It
was a stupid, rude thing to do." "I-" Misha started, but
Kevin jumped in again. He tended to speak very slowly and
deliberately, and god help you if he didn't finish what he
had planned out to say. "I was really worried about the
band. Somehow that made me look for somebody to blame,
some outsider, since that's easier than just saying, 'we're
fucked up, us five.'" Misha nodded, wondering when this
spiel was going to end. "I just wanted to let you know
that I've cooled off, been told off by my cousin, and I've
realised that I acted like a gigantic ass." "Point taken,"
Misha said. He didn't care any more if Kevin was finished
yet; he was getting bored. "Look, it's okay. I'll get over
it. I just... I'm not used to being talked to like that,
frankly." Kevin shook his head. "I feel really bad..."
"It's okay," Misha said quickly, not wanting Kevin to start
talking again. "Maybe we can have dinner once we get to
the next city, and work things out." Kevin looked up at
him, seeming a bit surprised. "That would be nice," he
said thoughtfully (and slowly). "That is a really nice
idea." Misha scuttled off to find Brian.
"Maybe just like, help the planet somehow," Nick was saying,
resting his head on the back of the couch and staring up at
the ceiling of the bus. Dani laughed; he had a child-like
quality to him that could be charming at times, and irritating
at other times. "Maybe just to be happy, and make my family
happy, and have my mom and dad be proud of me..." Nick turned
his head on the back of the couch. "Is that okay?" "Yes, you
did very well," Dani smiled, patting his knee and cooing at
him. Nick grinned. "Why are you asking me that anyway?"
"Well, I think to take photos of somebody, it helps to
understand what they're all about." "Oh. I guess that makes
sense." "So you're not just a pretty face." Dani smirked at
him and Nick did a few Vogue poses for her. "Of course not,
darling," he said, "you're forgetting all this!" He ran his
hands up and down his body and rolled his eyes. "Part two,"
Dani said. "Mmmm," Nick whined, "do I have to?" "It might
be easier. I want to ask you the same question, but about
A.J." "A.J.?" Nick looked at her as though she were an
alien. "Yeah." "Why do you want to know about him?" "Same
reason." Nick squinted at her. "Hmmm, I believe you," he
grinned. Dani slapped his leg. What a time for him to be
smart. "You like him?" Dani didn't answer and Nick burst
out laughing. "Ha, you do!" "Nick... Come on. Don't say
anything." Nick crawled over closer to her, his face only
inches away, and his big blue eyes staring deeply at her
brown eyes. "Ahhh ha ha ha!" he said, and he poked her on
the arm. "I'm telling!" Nick jumped up and made like he was
going to run to the sleeping bunks. Dani threw herself on
him and they wrestled around. "Oh no you don't, mister," she
grinned. Nick wrapped his arms around Dani and pinned her
on the couch, lying on top of her and pouting in her face.
"Blah," he said, "I'm telling A.J. and you can't stop me."
They lay there together for just an instant longer and then
Dani realised what it might look like if anybody else walked
in. She wriggled out of his grasp and brushed herself off,
giving Nick a glare. "Are you always this flirtatious?"
she asked. "Yes," Nick smiled, stretching out on the couch
and giving her a seductive look.
"Nick," Dani sighed, sitting down on the couch. "Don't be
mad," he said in a whiny voice. "I didn't mean to bug you."
"I'm not mad, it's just-" "I'm sorry, Dani. I don't know
how to act sometimes." Dani looked over at Nick, who had
folded his arms across his chest protectively. He seemed
to keep switching between cocky, sexy and full of attitude
and innocent, child-like and rather fearful. Dani felt as
though she were getting sucked into Nick despite herself.
"Nick, it's just that you can't relate to everybody in a
sexual way..." He looked confused. "Huh?" "I mean, not
every relationship is about either flirting with somebody
or being threatened by them and thinking they're flirting
with somebody you like..." Nick looked wounded. "Are you
talking about Misha?" "Not specifically, no. I was talking
about you and me." "What was I doing that was so wrong?"
Boy, Dani thought, does he get defensive quickly! "Nothing,
it's really not a big deal! I just wanted to explain why
I reacted that way." Dani tried to make eye contact with
Nick, but it seemed to be an exercise in frustration. "I
gotta go find Brian," Nick mumbled. "I miss my honey." "Why
don't I go find him for you and send him back here, so you
guys can have some privacy?" Dani said quickly. "You don't
have to." "No, I want to. Just sit, I'll go get your
sweetie for you. Okay?" Nick nodded.
Misha had eventually made his way to the front of the bus
and found Brian, who was in a laid-back kind of mood jamming
out to his hip-hop music, and very pleased to hear that Kevin
had apologised. "I haven't really gotten into it too much
with Nick yet," Brian said. "Last night I just wanted to
make sure he knew that I loved him." "It's okay," Misha said,
feeling a little sick inside thanks to all the venom in his
system when he thought about Nick and how much Brian adored
him. He tried to clear his mind of such evil thoughts.
Brian smiled. "At least our show went well. Boy, I tell
you, I had my doubts going in." "I was pretty confident,"
Misha said. "Like I said to Dani, you guys are pros, it
will come when you need it to come." "That's true," Brian
nodded, "I guess if you're that well-trained, you can rise
above the immediate problems and just get yourself into the
zone." "Right, like a professional athlete who can still
play even when they have some physical problem. They
probably don't even feel the pain while they're playing."
"Sometimes," Brian grinned. "Right, yeah..." Misha laughed.
"So have you ever been to Germany before?" "Yes, just once,"
Misha said. "Back when I was in college." "Oh, really?
Like, for a semester or something?" "No, just for two weeks.
It was neat, though." "Yeah, I like Germany," Brian said.
"It's a pretty mellow place. Nick isn't that crazy about
it. He likes to be somewhere with an ocean." Brian got a
gooey little smile on his face and Misha felt nauseous.
"I guess it's good that you guys have patched everything
up," Misha said with an artificial smile. "I wouldn't go
that far," Brian sighed. "Things are pretty unstable. But
my God, we spent a whole year apart, and a lot happened in
that year. I didn't know when we got back together if Nick
and I could make it work at all. This is probably about as
good as I could hope for right now." "And you're willing
to deal with all the stress..." "To a certain degree."
Brian nodded and looked out the window. "I mean, you get to
a certain point and you do ask yourself if it's really worth
it. Right now, yeah, it is. If it goes on like this for
a month... Well, first my hair will turn grey. Then it will
all fall out..." Both men were laughing when they spotted
Dani rushing up through the aisle to them. "Hey Misha," she
said, as though it was a big surprise to find him sitting there
with Mr. Littrell. "Brian, Nick was wondering if you'd like
to join him in the video nook." Misha smiled to himself.
Good ol' Dani. "Sure thing," Brian said, getting up from
his seat. "Talk to you later, Misha. Thanks, Dani."
Dani sat down next to Misha. "So, what did he say." "We
didn't talk too much," Misha said. "I got nabbed in the
kitchen by Kevin." "Ooh! That sounds exciting!" Misha
laughed. "He apologised. And we're going to have dinner
together when we get into town." "Oh my!" "Oh, stop.
I'm just hoping I don't fall asleep in my soup. He's kind
of boring when he's not telling me that I'm a worthless
piece of monkey shit." Dani laughed out loud and wiped a
tear from her eyes. She'd managed to put A.J. almost
completely out of her mind thanks to all the Misha/Brian/
Kevin wheelings and dealings. "And how was your
conversation with the oh-so-intellectual Mr. Carter?"
"He's a messed up kid," Dani said. "We knew that already.
Good thing you didn't want to become an investigative
journalist when you grew up." "Hey!" Dani laughed,
smacking Misha on the arm. "Sounds like his family is
tough on him for being gay." "Poor baby. Do you think
that's why he's an alcoholic bimbo slut?" "Oh, you just
love little Nicky poo now, don't you." "He charmed the
pants off me last night, yeah. I thought that was a pretty
classy way of thanking me for saving his life in New York,
since he never has said anything about it." "Well, I'm
glad you two are getting so close," Dani grinned. "Anyway,
we bonded, he laid on top of me. It was special." "I don't
want to know," Misha said. "And he knows that I have a
crush on A.J." Misha choked on his tea. "You have a
what on who?"